I’m a biology major and absolutely love it, but did not do as well in my course as I wished to. I made a C, 1 point away from a B. I’ve planned on going to med school for the longest time, and my parents help me out a lot since both of them went and were bio majors in undergrad. I put a lot of effort into biology but not enough. I let work get in the way at times, but I’m going to take next semester off from work. Now I REALLY know what to expect, so I know what I need to do for Gen Bio 2 this upcoming semester. So, do you think that C will be too detrimental or will it be okay if I assure myself that I will do much better this upcoming semester in Gen Bio 2? Thanks!
Wow you’re lucky if you can retake that class. My school only allows students to retake a class if they failed. But anyways, there are a few things to consider before retaking the class. Do you have the money? How full is your schedule? Will this affect when you can graduate? And most importantly, what will you do differently to raise your grade? It would be a shame to spend all of that time and money retaking the class only to get the same grade or worse. Also I’m not trying to be rude here, but if you’re struggling with general bio, do you have any backup plans in case you don’t make it into medical school? From what I’ve heard, it is highly competitive and even students with amazing grades have a hard time getting in. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s good to be realistic and come up with a plan sooner rather than later.
Do not retake a C. There is no benefit to retaking a class. Generally, for medical school applications, the original grade will still be factored into your GPA. Furthermore, a C won’t keep you out of medical school. Plenty of people have gone on to medical school after a poor grade or two. Making a habit of Cs, however, will keep you out of medical school.
Your time would be better spent figuring out why you didn’t do well (inefficient study methods? poor time management?), and address it while continuing with the next set of courses.